1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for automatically selecting caption language and particularly, to an apparatus and method for automatically selecting caption language for continuously outputting a caption language of a selected language that a user selected in advance in caption broadcasting of a digital TV.
2. Description of the Background Art
Generally, caption broadcasting of an analog TV can provide maximum four caption services, such as Korean, Japanese, Chinese, English and the like and caption broadcasting of a digital TV can provide maximum sixty three services.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an apparatus for caption language selection of a conventional TV. As shown in the drawing, a conventional apparatus 100 for selecting a caption language of a conventional TV includes a receiving unit 110 for receiving an image signal, input control unit 120 for selecting a caption service according to the caption language selected by a user and an output unit 130 for displaying the image signal and selected caption language on a screen according to a control signal of the control unit.
The conventional apparatus for automatically selecting caption language will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3.
The receiving unit 110 receives an image signal received together with the caption language which will be provided to a user and the output unit 130 displays the received image signal on the screen. Simultaneously, the input control unit 120 separately selects only a predetermined caption language selected by the user and transmits the language to the output unit 130. The output unit 130 displays the selected caption language on the screen together with the image signal.
Here, the caption language which can be selected by a user with an input apparatus (not shown) is composed by a line selection, such as CC(Closed Caption)1 shown in FIG. 2. Namely, when English caption is allotted to the CC1, a caption extraction unit (not shown) extracts only a predetermined line corresponding to the CCl and outputs the line to the output unit 130 since image signal contains the caption language on a predetermined line.
However, when the broadcasting program is changed, the caption language contained in the image signal of the broadcasting program can be transmitted being contained on the other line. Namely, Korean caption is transmitted through the line containing the conventional English caption and English caption can be transmitted through the other line. In this case, the user selects the CC1 (since the CC1 is selected currently) since the user wanted to receive English caption service. Actually, the Korean caption is displayed and accordingly, the user can watch the English caption by selecting the line corresponding to the English caption again. However, the user cannot recognize with which CC number the English caption is selected among CC2 to CC4 in caption service menu and accordingly, there was a disadvantage that the user must search the CC number changing all the numbers in the caption service menu.
Also, in case of a digital TV, since sixty three caption services are contained in the stream of the digital image signal, the user must search the preferred caption language whenever the broadcasting program is changed, thus to cause inconvenience and spend much time.